What does your theft insurance contract say if the means of protection are not closed? 

During my last appraisal tour, I had to tell the insured that a reduction in the indemnity was to be expected due to the absence of "implementation of protective measures". The gentleman answered curtly: "I don't understand, but I closed my door". Yes but ... in his absence of one hour, the door was not "locked" i.e. he had not closed the safety lock with his key and "implemented the prevention obligations" indicated on his comprehensive home insurance contract.

There are no traces of break-in noted in the sense of destruction of the means of closing to enter the premises.

What does your multi-risk home insurance contract say on this point? Each insurance company or mutual insurance company has its own requirements which are clearly stated in the general and specific conditions of the contract.

The expert too often has the delicate task of explaining a posteriori the prevention aspect which has been announced. Do we really have the time to read in detail the general conditions of the insurance contract?

Clearly, you have to distinguish the required means of protection from the conditions of their implementation to avoid a refusal of guarantee or a reduction in the indemnity. For example, the insurer requires an A2P standard lock or 2 anchor points that you have installed on your front door (compliant risk) but you forgot to lock this door on the day of the theft (not guaranteed).

Common cases

Failure to implement all means of closure

In my region, it's a heat wave, so in the absence of air conditioning, we often sleep with the shutters and windows open... which allows burglars to enter the rooms without breaking in while you are sleeping peacefully. A sky climber was arrested in the middle of downtown Cannes last summer while he was scaling buildings of several floors.

1. Depending on the company, coverage may be denied because it is up to the insured to prove the facts. Theft by climbing through an open window during the night may not be covered if the contract requires that all means of closing the window must be in place during the night.
2. In case of a short absence during the day, while parents are picking up their children from school for example, the obligation to implement the means of locking is clearly indicated, i.e. at least to lock your doors and windows. "A burglary every two minutes. This is the frequency of "visits" to homes by thieves in France. Eight out of ten offenses occurred between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and the regions of Ile-de-France, Occitanie and Paca were the most affected. A total of 247,394 cases were recorded in one year," according to LCI, which gives 7 tips to deter thieves.
3. The armored door, whose locking system is not operated, does not protect the house from burglars who are used to sliding an X-ray in the doorframe to easily operate the half-bolt of the lock.
4. Here again, this negligence may result in a refusal of coverage or a reduction in premium depending on the insurer.
5. In case of long term absence, during vacations, we encounter the case of the neighbor in charge of feeding the cat and who forgets to close the shutters. Here again, the period of uninhabitation may or may not be defined in the insurance contract, but as a general rule, for any absence of more than 24 hours, the shutters and all means of protection must be activated, i.e. including the alarm system if there is one.

The compliance of the imposed means of protection is included in your general and specific conditions of the insurance contract: deciphering

• The number of anchor points required on the entry door or locking system may vary from company to company.
• Please note: The knob lock or the pressure rollers are not anchor points in the strict sense of the word, as they do not fit into the door frame.
• Be careful with the communication door between the house and the garage, again specific requirements of the company may be indicated.
• Schematically, we must distinguish 2 types of locks: ordinary or safety. The A2P standard issued by the CNPP, from 1 to 3 stars, are required in some contracts.
• The alarm system as well as the maintenance contract (in particular for the change of the batteries) can be claimed on the day of the disaster according to the amounts of guarantee in particular in precious objects.
• Finally, the non-conformity of the means of protection can lead to an exclusion of guarantee.
  • Example: the absence of shutters on windows less than 3 meters high from the ground, led to a refusal of coverage even though the thieves had passed through the front door: the insurer requires means of protection in accordance with the contract before any compensation even if the path of the thieves does not concern the insufficiently protected opening.

It's not enough to be well protected against theft. You also need to comply with the preventive measures set out in your insurance contract to activate your coverage.